Philocrites2014-02-18T01:39:00ZReligion, liberalism, and culturetag:www.philocrites.com,2017://1Movable TypeCopyright (c) 2014, Philocritesphilocriteshttps://feedburner.google.comThis is an XML content feed. It is intended to be viewed in a newsreader or syndicated to another site, subject to copyright and fair use.Is there a torch in the new UUA logo?2014-02-18T01:39:00Z2014-02-17T20:39:00-05:00tag:www.philocrites.com,2014://1.41542014-02-18T01:39:00Z Thinking about the UUA's new logo (which was announced last week; I was not involved in developing), I was struck by the torch-like image in its center. I've heard people express dismay that it's no longer clearly a flaming...Philocriteshttp://www.philocrites.com/philocrites@gmail.comUnitarian Universalism
<p><img alt="UUA Logo, 2014" src="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/UUA Logo 2014-thumb.png" width="200" height="258" border="0" align="left" style="margin-right: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em;"/><br />
Thinking about the UUA's new logo (which was <a href="http://www.uuworld.org/news/articles/293197.shtml?utm_source=philocrites">announced last week</a>; I was not involved in developing), I was struck by the torch-like image in its center. I've heard people express dismay that it's no longer clearly a flaming chalice—but it occurs to me that the flaming chalice is only one relative of another symbol that is even older in Unitarian use: the beacon. </p>
<p>(<em>This post <a href="https://www.facebook.com/christopher.l.walton/posts/715541025144204?stream_ref=10">originally appeared</a> yesterday on my Facebook page; I'm reviving "Philocrites" briefly to give it a more public home. Hi everyone! I've missed you. There's a lot of commentary about the new logo worth reading: the <a href="http://blogs.uuworld.org/web/2014/02/14/uua-outreach-the-mass-moral-march-challenging-classism-and-more/">first round</a> is curated by Heather Christensen at <cite>The Interdependent Web</cite>; read it, and then see later responses by <a href="http://www.peacebang.com/2014/02/14/a-new-logo/">PeaceBang</a>, <a href="http://revdawn.wordpress.com/2014/02/15/surprised-people-react-poorly/">Dawn Cooley</a>, and <a href="http://politywonk.wordpress.com/2014/02/17/rev-matt-tittle-sees-good-conversations-coming-out-of-the-new-logo/">Matt Tittle</a>, and be sure to check in this coming Friday for another edition of The Interdependent Web.</em>)</p>
<p><img alt="Beacon Press logo, early 20th century" align="right" src="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/image-thumb.jpg" width="250" height="331" border="0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em;" />The image to the right was Beacon Press's printer's mark (in several variations) for most of the 20th century. The beacon, for which Beacon Hill was named, was lit to warn citizens of approaching dangers in 17th-century Boston. (Think of a modest Puritan version of the warning beacons of Gondor!) "The idea of shedding light to warn of imminent dangers" appealed to AUA leaders when the press was named in 1902, according to Beacon Press's <a href="http://www.beacon.org/client/pdfs/02.bp0316.pdf">150th anniversary history</a>. Back in the 1990s, I <a href="http://www.philocrites.com/notebook/041797.html">put together</a> a catalog of UU congregational newsletter names (don't ask), and I was impressed by how many used variations on "Beacon," "Torch," "Lantern," and other analogs. And of course symbols of public light—especially to warn, to call attention, to illuminate—have featured prominently in our tradition for much longer even than the century in which our largest publishing enterprise has been named "Beacon." </p>
<p>The flaming chalice caught on, I think, not just because it originated with the Unitarian Service Committee's work in World War II, but also because the lit chalice could so readily become a liturgical object, and by extension a domestic or personal worship tool. Here's my modest insight: The flaming chalice is an interior lamp, a flame to light indoors in the particular context of worship. As an emblem, it's tied to the Service Committee's public service history, but in our experience, it's a symbol of our religion as practiced in sanctuaries and homes. But it has a cousin in our symbolic tradition that is a flame lit in the public square: the beacon lit in times of public crisis, the candles held up in vigils, the lantern in the steeple. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/uuworld/7433023242/">second image</a> is from the UUA's 2012 Justice General Assembly vigil outside the Maricopa County Jail in Phoenix. I see that (battery-powered) candle in the new logo.</p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/uuworld/7433023242/player/04701d0ae5" height="333" width="500" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=ibTJVDK8cBI:1-8nOT2eh0o:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=ibTJVDK8cBI:1-8nOT2eh0o:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=ibTJVDK8cBI:1-8nOT2eh0o:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=ibTJVDK8cBI:1-8nOT2eh0o:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=ibTJVDK8cBI:1-8nOT2eh0o:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/philocrites/~4/ibTJVDK8cBI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://www.philocrites.com/archives/004154.htmlPhilocrites is signing off.2010-01-02T22:02:24Z2010-01-02T17:02:24-05:00tag:www.philocrites.com,2010://1.40552010-01-02T22:02:24ZIt's past time to announce the obvious: Philocrites is done, and I'm unlikely to revive it. I've been blogging at philocrites.com since 2002, when I started posting essays I had written for various Unitarian Universalist email lists as hand-coded entries....Philocriteshttp://www.philocrites.com/philocrites@gmail.comSite news
<img class="frameleft" alt="Chris Walton at the 2009 UUA General Assembly; photo by Nancy Pierce" title="Chris Walton at the 2009 UUA General Assembly; photo by Nancy Pierce" src="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/cwaltonGA2009.jpg" width="240" height="300" border="0" align="left"/>It's past time to announce the obvious: Philocrites is done, and I'm unlikely to revive it. </p>
<p>I've been blogging at philocrites.com since 2002, when I started posting essays I had written for various Unitarian Universalist email lists as hand-coded entries. When I started using Blogger in 2003 (here's an <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20030222233043/http://www.philocrites.com/">archived version</a>), I started looking around for other Unitarian Universalist bloggers. It didn't take long before a bunch of us were in regular conversation and thinking of ourselves as "UU bloggers." Several of us worked together to launch <a href="http://www.coffeehour.org/archives/000915.html">Coffee Hour</a>, a UU group blog, in 2004, and I was sorry to see it expire in 2005. (Dan Harper laments that many UUs have now opted for <a href="http://www.danielharper.org/blog/?p=6136">semi-public conversations at Facebook</a> rather than in truly public forums, and I'm sorry that we didn't have the energy or foresight to transform Coffee Hour into something more like a social networking site using <a href="http://about.ning.com/product.php">Ning</a> or Drupal to keep those conversations out in the open.) Scott Wells helped me switch to Movable Type in the late summer of 2003, and I've stuck with that platform ever since. </p>
<p>I launched my <a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/003616.html">Guide to UU Blogs</a> in January 2004, and updated it for the last time five years later in January 2009. (Here's the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20040202101736/www.philocrites.com/archives/000587.html">earliest version</a> of the guide, and here's the <a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/003616.html">final version</a>.) My apologies to all the bloggers who have recommended sites to me in the last year; <a href="http://uupdates.net/">UUpdates.net</a> is now the best place to <a href="http://uupdates.net/index.php?main=add">promote your blog</a>.</p>
<p>I'd like to thank several sites for bringing attention my way over the years, especially <a href="http://holyweblog.com/wordpress/">Holy Weblog!</a>, the Yahoo! Guide to Religion Blogs (long dead), journalist Jeff Sharlet's <a href="http://www.therevealer.org/archives/links_000047.php">The Revealer</a>, Beliefnet's <a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/001868.html">Blog Heaven</a> (which has also expired), and <cite>Boston Globe</cite> religion reporter Michael Paulson's <a href="http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2008/07/welcome_uus.html">Articles of Faith</a>. And, of course, thanks to Rob Corddry of "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" for giving Philocrites <a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/001739.html">two seconds of fame</a> in a segment in March 2005. </p>
<p>Why am I officially signing off? As I <a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/003924.html">announced</a> almost two years ago, parenthood has consumed the time I used to dedicate to the reading and writing that my style of blogging required. And, in truth, the wind started going out of the sails here in late 2006 when I effectively took the helm at <a href="http://www.uuworld.org/"><cite>UU World</cite></a>. So I'm very belatedly getting around to saying what is only too obvious: It's time to say thank you and goodbye. I'm looking forward to finding other ways to write on my favorite themes, but I can't pretend that I'll ever find a way to write here the way I once did.</p>
<p>The site will remain intact, however. Below you'll find some of my favorite posts — the best of Philocrites, I hope. To my longtime readers and to everyone who commented here or responded to my posts on their own blogs, my gratitude and warmest regards. And to my fellow Unitarian Universalists, be bold enough to try new technologies that can help you share your liberal religion with others. </p>
<a name="recommended"></a>
<p></p><br />
<dl>
<dt class="subtitle">Unitarian Universalism</dt>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/000679.html">Questions the UUA Principles don't answer</a>: Our Principles are thin, "wholesome abstractions" unless they happen to be embodied in practices and stories and ways of life. (2.6.04)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/001078.html">Do Unitarian Universalists have morals?</a> We focus on the qualities of people's actions more than on specific deeds. (7.14.04)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/000423.html">Dogma and liberal doctrine</a>: Unitarian Universalism has fuzzy borders, to be sure, but they are there. (11.21.02)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/003022.html">Scattered thoughts on a divided spiritual identity</a>: Why "Unitarian Universalism" is my faith community but not my religion. (7.2.06)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/004012.html">Megachurch pastor: UUs just don't do transformation</a>: Is it a feature or a bug that Unitarian Universalism is the religion you may already be practicing without knowing it? (12.17.08)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/000435.html">Too much C Major</a>: The problem with a lot of what passes for Unitarian Universalism is that it's often tone-deaf to the complexity of our actual lives. (10.4.03)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/002534.html">On early Unitarian fears of 'popery'</a>: Nineteenth-century Unitarians had theological reasons to be wary of Catholicism. (1.30.06)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/003651.html">Isaac Newton's anti-Trinitarianism in the news</a>: How "unitarianism" is a doctrinal leftover that Unitarian Universalists cling to somewhat irrationally. (7.29.07)</dd>
<dt class="subtitle">Liberal Christianity</dt>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/002831.html">The gospel of forgiveness</a>: The story of 5-year-old shooting victim Kai Leigh Harriott anchors my Easter reflections. (4.17.06) </dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/001303.html">Cape Cod's scaaary Unitarian Universalists</a>: Unfortunately for conservative Christians, liberalism is much broader and much deeper than "creeping Unitarian Universalism." (10.18.04)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/000563.html">Jesus the question</a>: On the paradox of being a Doubting Thomas in a post-Christian church. (12.23.03)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/002835.html">Despair, resurrection, and liberal religion</a>: Is there any legitimate reason to hope for anything beyond brokenness, tedium, and despair? (12.12.96)</dd>
<dt class="subtitle">Theology</dt>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/000146.html">We must not postulate simplicity</a>: Reflections on A.N. Whitehead's observation, "So far as concerns religious problems, simple solutions are bogus solutions." (6.1.03)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/000607.html">Making it up</a>, <a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/000608.html">Revelation</a>, and <a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/000609.html">Revelation and relation</a>: A religion needs a way of orienting or rooting its claims on people's loyalties, something on the order of "that's how it really is." (7.02)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/002677.html">A handful of liberal religious definitions</a>: My short definitions of "theology," "religion," "faith," and "worship." (3.11.06)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/003133.html">The ontological imagination</a>: An essay on William James. (5.29.99)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/003132.html">The reality of the symbol of God</a>: An essay on Paul Tillich and Gordon Kaufman. (5.19.98)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/003131.html">The object of religion</a>: An essay on Hegel and Feuerbach. (4.13.98)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/003130.html">The religious availability of John Dewey's God</a>: An essay on John Dewey's <cite>A Common Faith</cite>. (10.30.97)</dd>
<dt class="subtitle">Polity and ethics</dt>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/002844.html">Inherent goodness got you down?</a> Theological commentary on the mistaken view that "inherent worth and dignity" means "inherently good." (4.25.06)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/000396.html">Dogmatic non-creedalism</a>: Unitarian "non-creedalism" has two quite distinct roots. (9.18.03)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/003557.html">Uh oh, here come the Unitarians and Universalists</a>: What to say to earnest UUs who complain when someone identifies as a "Unitarian" or "Universalist." (5.17.07)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/003885.html">Limits of Unitarian Universalist congregationalism</a>: "Unitarian Universalism" exists beyond the limits of congregational affiliation, and beyond the formal boundaries of the UUA. (2.15.08)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/003891.html">Baptism is more than signing a membership book</a>: We have yet to imagine what a baptism into Unitarian Universalism would be. (2.23.08)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/003902.html">Survey: 0.3 percent of adults are Unitarian Universalists</a>: My take on the Pew Forum survey that estimated that many more people identify as UUs than are members of UU churches. (2.26.08)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/003142.html">Authority in the spirit: Developing a doctrine of the liberal church</a>: An essay in ecclesiology. (1.14.97)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/003609.html">Schleiermacher on true religious fellowship</a>: An essay on Friedrich Schleiermacher's view of the church. (3.2.98)</dd>
<dt class="subtitle">Scripture</dt>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/000050.html">Can a fundamentalist be a unitarian?</a> On the unitarianism of Jehovah's Witnesses and the Biblical Unitarians. (8.13.03)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/000411.html">Was Channing a biblical inerrantist?</a> The early American champion of Unitarianism believed in the reliability of scripture, not its inerrancy. (1.3.03)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/003143.html">"Words are not the only language": Henry Whitney Bellows's view of scripture</a>: An essay on 19th-century Unitarian biblical interpretation. (4.5.97)</dd>
<dt class="subtitle">Politics</dt>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/001225.html">Beware "Old Testament" comparisons</a>: I refuse to believe that most Americans have deliberately sequestered themselves in ideological ghettos. (9.23.04)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/001330.html">Banishing faith from politics? Good luck!</a>: An argument for theological criticism of politics. (10.24.04)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/001496.html">Democrats need some "thick we's"</a>: The left should go to church. (12.12.04)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/002963.html">Two cheers for conservative liberals</a>: Making sense of "conservative" Unitarian Universalists. (6.1.06)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/002867.html">Bush and Colbert, Lear and the Fool</a>: Shakespearean commentary on the White House Correspondents Dinner. (5.2.06)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/000412.html">Is there political diversity among UUs?</a> We should be careful not to make our politics into a new kind of orthodoxy. (12.26.02)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/000109.html">More than words</a>: What would James Luther Adams have made of Hobbes's statement that "covenants, without the sword, are but words"? (4.30.03)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/001210.html">Resisting stem cell utopianism</a>: A few thoughts on the differences between fetuses and human beings. (9.14.04)</dd>
</dl>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=1-2haC6RYf8:gMeCtEgtmjs:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=1-2haC6RYf8:gMeCtEgtmjs:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=1-2haC6RYf8:gMeCtEgtmjs:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=1-2haC6RYf8:gMeCtEgtmjs:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=1-2haC6RYf8:gMeCtEgtmjs:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/philocrites/~4/1-2haC6RYf8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://www.philocrites.com/archives/004055.htmlThe election is over; time to plan the next one!2009-07-17T13:04:10Z2009-07-17T09:04:10-05:00tag:www.philocrites.com,2009://1.40372009-07-17T13:04:10ZThe Unitarian Universalist Association elected Peter Morales its eighth president on June 27, but that doesn't mean it's time for UUs to stop thinking about the way we choose our national leaders. The Board of Trustees is proposing some major...Philocriteshttp://www.philocrites.com/philocrites@gmail.comUnitarian Universalism
<p>The Unitarian Universalist Association elected Peter Morales its eighth president on June 27, but that doesn't mean it's time for UUs to stop thinking about the way we choose our national leaders. The Board of Trustees is proposing some major changes to the way we elect the president and moderator, which the General Assembly will vote on next summer; see <cite>UU World</cite>'s <a href="http://www.uuworld.org/news/articles/133209.shtml">news coverage</a> of the board's proposal and the <a href="http://www.uua.org/documents/gaoffice/agenda/bylaw_amendments_2010.pdf">revised bylaws</a> delegates will consider in 2010. (The amendments were published in the 2009 General Assembly Business Agenda so delegates could begin discussing them.) </p>
<p>For a lively conversation about the board's proposal and other suggestions for reforming the UUA's elections process, check out the <a href="http://lists.uua.org/mailman/private/election-l/2009-July/date.html">Election-L email forum</a>. Access to the archives requires a subscription, but that's <a href="http://lists.uua.org/mailman/listinfo/election-l">easy to obtain</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=crou3H6X0dk:LTWoPLD42y0:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=crou3H6X0dk:LTWoPLD42y0:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=crou3H6X0dk:LTWoPLD42y0:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=crou3H6X0dk:LTWoPLD42y0:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=crou3H6X0dk:LTWoPLD42y0:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/philocrites/~4/crou3H6X0dk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://www.philocrites.com/archives/004037.htmlSummer 2009 issue of 'UU World' now available.2009-05-22T02:01:31Z2009-05-21T22:01:31-05:00tag:www.philocrites.com,2009://1.40352009-05-22T02:01:31ZThe Summer 2009 issue of UU World is in the mail, but you can browse the magazine's contents online right now. In this issue: the amazing story of Unitarian Universalism's rapid growth in Africa; my end-of-term interview with outgoing UUA...Philocriteshttp://www.philocrites.com/philocrites@gmail.comUnitarian Universalism
<p><a href="http://www.uuworld.org/issues/summer2009.shtml?p"><img src="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/Summer09%20cover-thumb.jpg" alt="UU World, Summer 2009" title="Cover, UU World, Summer 2009" width="200" height="254" align="left" border="0" class="frameleft" /></a>The <a href="http://www.uuworld.org/issues/summer2009.shtml?p">Summer 2009 issue</a> of <cite>UU World</cite> is in the mail, but you can browse the magazine's contents online right now. In this issue: the amazing story of <a href="http://www.uuworld.org/life/articles/141815.shtml?p">Unitarian Universalism's rapid growth in Africa</a>; my end-of-term <a href="http://www.uuworld.org/life/articles/141819.shtml?p">interview with outgoing UUA President William G. Sinkford</a> and Sinkford's <a href="http://www.uuworld.org/issues/141803.shtml?p">farewell column</a>; the story of <a href="http://www.uuworld.org/ideas/articles/141822.shtml?p">John Murray's conversion to universalism</a>; Third Unitarian Church of Chicago's unique <a href="http://www.uuworld.org/spirit/articles/141820.shtml?p">murals celebrating "liberal saints"</a>; and much more. </p>
<p>My <a href="http://www.uuworld.org/issues/141802.shtml?p">"From the Editor" column</a> mentions <cite>UU World</cite>'s <a href="http://www.utne.com/Media/Independent-Press-Awards-Best-Magazines-Nominees-2009.aspx">nomination</a> for a 2009 Utne Independent Press Award; this past weekend, <cite>Utne Reader</cite> <a href="http://www.utne.com/2009-Winners-Utne-Independent-Press-Awards.aspx">gave the award</a> for "spiritual coverage" to <a href="http://www.geezmagazine.org/"><cite>Geez Magazine</cite></a>. (Congrats, you fine hipster Christians!) </p>
<p>My column also breaks the news that UUA budget cuts are bringing down the curtain on <a href="http://clf.uua.org/uume/"><cite>uu&me!</cite></a>, the four-page children's insert produced by the Church of the Larger Fellowship that has appeared in the center of <cite>UU World</cite> since 2004. The UUA's Lifespan Faith Development staff is currently developing a new insert for families to replace it.</p>
<p>The print edition also includes <a href="http://www.uua.org/documents/nc/09_candidates.pdf">candidate statements</a> (pdf) for the June 2009 UUA elections, which you can find online at <a href="http://www.uua.org/aboutus/governance/elections/">UUA.org/elections</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=K8ywOyNtudM:Q_FMRygGSTM:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=K8ywOyNtudM:Q_FMRygGSTM:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=K8ywOyNtudM:Q_FMRygGSTM:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=K8ywOyNtudM:Q_FMRygGSTM:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=K8ywOyNtudM:Q_FMRygGSTM:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/philocrites/~4/K8ywOyNtudM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://www.philocrites.com/archives/004035.htmlVote to send preservation dollars to UU sites.2009-05-07T00:55:51Z2009-05-06T20:55:51-05:00tag:www.philocrites.com,2009://1.40332009-05-07T00:55:51ZSurely you're reading The Interdependent Web, the UU World blog that highlights the best of the UU blogosphere each week. (After all, it's the only place I've been blogging lately.) But I'm crossposting something I wrote there because I think...Philocriteshttp://www.philocrites.com/philocrites@gmail.comUnitarian Universalism
<p>Surely you're reading <a href="http://www.uuworld.org/blogs/web/?p">The Interdependent Web</a>, the <cite>UU World</cite> blog that highlights the best of the UU blogosphere each week. (After all, it's the only place I've been blogging lately.) But I'm crossposting something I wrote <a href="http://www.uuworld.org/blogs/web/2009_04_19_archive.php#4168974399377205008?p">there</a> because I think you'd want to help some historic UU sites in Massachusetts get a piece of $1 million in historic preservation funding. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/el_ramon/2309145326/"><img alt="Old Ship Meeting House, by Timothy Valentine" title="Old Ship Meeting House, by Timothy Valentine" src="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/OldShipMeetingHouse.jpg" width="240" height="192" border="0" class="frameright" align="right" /></a>Two Unitarian Universalist churches in Massachusetts are among 25 nominees for $1 million in preservation grants from the American Express <a href="http://www.partnersinpreservation.com/boston/">Partners in Preservation program</a>: the <a href="http://www.partnersinpreservation.com/boston/index.php?sec=exploc&locID=15">"Old Ship Meeting House"</a> of the First Parish in Hingham (the only early Puritan meeting house still standing and the oldest wooden religious structure in use in the United States) and the <a href="http://www.partnersinpreservation.com/boston/index.php?sec=exploc&locID=21">United First Parish Church</a> in Quincy (the "Church of the Presidents" where U.S. presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams are entombed). <a href="http://www.partnersinpreservation.com/boston/index.php?sec=vot">Vote for your favorites</a> once daily through May 17.</p>
<p>Other UU-related sites include the <a href="http://www.partnersinpreservation.com/boston/index.php?sec=exploc&locID=25">Perkins School for the Blind</a> (see <a href="http://www.uuworld.org/2005/01/lookingback.html?p"><cite>UU World</a>, Jan/Feb 2005), <a href="http://www.partnersinpreservation.com/boston/index.php?sec=exploc&locID=10">Mount Auburn Cemetery</a> (see <a href="http://www.uuworld.org/ideas/articles/14061.shtml?p"><cite>UU World</cite></a>, Spring 2007), and Louisa May Alcott's <a href="http://www.partnersinpreservation.com/boston/index.php?sec=exploc&locID=11">Orchard House</a> (see <a href="http://www.uuworld.org/ideas/articles/23903.shtml?p"><cite>UU World</cite></a>, Summer 2007).</p>
<p><em><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/el_ramon/2309145326/">Photo</a> (cc) by Timothy Valentine.</em></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=OXJiCTAwzi0:NlcgRLiPYMw:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=OXJiCTAwzi0:NlcgRLiPYMw:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=OXJiCTAwzi0:NlcgRLiPYMw:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=OXJiCTAwzi0:NlcgRLiPYMw:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=OXJiCTAwzi0:NlcgRLiPYMw:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/philocrites/~4/OXJiCTAwzi0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://www.philocrites.com/archives/004033.htmlPsst, I'm preaching next week, not tomorrow.2009-04-22T00:23:37Z2009-04-21T20:23:37-05:00tag:www.philocrites.com,2009://1.40322009-04-22T00:23:37ZFor the benefit of my email subscribers, I am not preaching tomorrow, April 22, at King's Chapel (as I had erroneously written yesterday in a post that went out by email Tuesday morning), but am in fact preaching there on...Philocriteshttp://www.philocrites.com/philocrites@gmail.comPersonal
<p>For the benefit of my email subscribers, I am <em>not</em> preaching tomorrow, April 22, at King's Chapel (as I had erroneously written yesterday in a post that went out by email Tuesday morning), but am in fact preaching there on Wednesday, April 29. You'll be welcome at the noontime service either week, of course.</p>
<p>(Note to self: Double-check your calendar before clicking "Publish." Your baby-addled brain needs all the help it can get these days!)</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=y-wtN6CKzyA:yJz25dgwkro:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=y-wtN6CKzyA:yJz25dgwkro:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=y-wtN6CKzyA:yJz25dgwkro:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=y-wtN6CKzyA:yJz25dgwkro:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=y-wtN6CKzyA:yJz25dgwkro:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/philocrites/~4/y-wtN6CKzyA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://www.philocrites.com/archives/004032.htmlPhilocrites in the pulpit, April 29, King's Chapel.2009-04-21T01:08:50Z2009-04-20T21:08:50-05:00tag:www.philocrites.com,2009://1.40312009-04-21T01:08:50ZPhilocriteshttp://www.philocrites.com/philocrites@gmail.comPersonal
<p>I'm preaching at the 12:15 midweek service at <a href="http://kings-chapel.org/">King's Chapel</a> in downtown Boston on Wednesday, April 29 &mdash; my first time in a pulpit since Gregory was born eleven months ago today.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=qIkho82mnrU:Z7EBrPVExNw:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=qIkho82mnrU:Z7EBrPVExNw:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=qIkho82mnrU:Z7EBrPVExNw:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=qIkho82mnrU:Z7EBrPVExNw:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=qIkho82mnrU:Z7EBrPVExNw:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/philocrites/~4/qIkho82mnrU" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://www.philocrites.com/archives/004031.html'UU World' a finalist for Utne Independent Press Awards.2009-04-07T01:35:14Z2009-04-06T21:35:14-05:00tag:www.philocrites.com,2009://1.40302009-04-07T01:35:14ZUtne Reader announced today that UU World, the magazine I edit for the Unitarian Universalist Association, has been named a finalist for the 2009 Utne Independent Press Awards. UU World is one of eight religion and spirituality magazines nominated in...Philocriteshttp://www.philocrites.com/philocrites@gmail.comUnitarian Universalism
<p><a href="http://www.utne.com/Media/Independent-Press-Awards-Best-Magazines-Nominees-2009.aspx"><img alt="Utne Independent Press Awards Nominee logo" title="Utne Independent Press Awards Nominee, 2009" src="http://www.philocrites.com/archives/UIPA_2009_nominee_logo.jpg" width="197" height="225" border="0" align="left" class="frameleft" style="border: 0;" /></a><cite>Utne Reader</cite> announced today that <a href="http://www.uuworld.org/?p"><cite>UU World</cite></a>, the magazine I edit for the Unitarian Universalist Association, has been named a finalist for the <a href="http://www.utne.com/Media/Independent-Press-Awards-Best-Magazines-Nominees-2009.aspx">2009 Utne Independent Press Awards</a>. <cite>UU World</cite> is one of eight religion and spirituality magazines nominated in the Spiritual Coverage category, alongside venerable titles like <cite>Tricycle</cite>, <cite>Image</cite>, and <cite>Parabola</cite> and spunky upstarts like <cite>Geez</cite>. I was proud of my eight-person staff and small team of regular contributors before, but their stock has now gone even higher in my estimation. Way to go, team! (<cite>UU World</cite> is the only denominational magazine among the nominees.)</p>
<p>The winners will be announced in May and publicized in the July/August issue of <cite>Utne Reader</cite>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=lKpTsJGXpR4:Wjz-Nj_gICw:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=lKpTsJGXpR4:Wjz-Nj_gICw:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=lKpTsJGXpR4:Wjz-Nj_gICw:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=lKpTsJGXpR4:Wjz-Nj_gICw:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=lKpTsJGXpR4:Wjz-Nj_gICw:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/philocrites/~4/lKpTsJGXpR4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://www.philocrites.com/archives/004030.htmlHarvard's Daniel McKanan on building liberal institutions.2009-04-07T01:17:44Z2009-04-06T21:17:44-05:00tag:www.philocrites.com,2009://1.40292009-04-07T01:17:44ZDaniel McKanan, Harvard's first Ralph Waldo Emerson Unitarian Universalist Association Senior Lecturer in Divinity, will be giving his inaugural lecture in the Sperry Room at Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass., May 7 at 5:15 pm. His topic: "Unless a...Philocriteshttp://www.philocrites.com/philocrites@gmail.comUnitarian Universalism
<p><a href="http://www.hds.harvard.edu/faculty/mckanan.cfm">Daniel McKanan</a>, Harvard's first Ralph Waldo Emerson Unitarian Universalist Association Senior Lecturer in Divinity, will be giving his inaugural lecture in the Sperry Room at Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass., May 7 at 5:15 pm. His topic: "Unless a Seed Falls: Cultivating Liberal Institutions." McKanan studies religious movements for social transformation. For the last few years, he has also convened UU scholars from diverse disciplines at the annual convention of the American Academy of Religion and is doing a great job raising the profile of contemporary UU religious scholarship.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=NapQwjKQXUA:Cv3NmpcLwgo:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=NapQwjKQXUA:Cv3NmpcLwgo:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=NapQwjKQXUA:Cv3NmpcLwgo:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=NapQwjKQXUA:Cv3NmpcLwgo:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=NapQwjKQXUA:Cv3NmpcLwgo:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/philocrites/~4/NapQwjKQXUA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://www.philocrites.com/archives/004029.htmlMinns Lectures: Unitarian kinship with Judaism, Islam.2009-04-07T01:07:00Z2009-04-06T21:07:00-05:00tag:www.philocrites.com,2009://1.40282009-04-07T01:07:00ZI'm pleased to announce the 2009 Minns Lectures. Historian Susan Ritchie, visiting professor of Unitarian Universalist history at Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, Calif., and minister of North Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Lewis Center, Ohio, will be...Philocriteshttp://www.philocrites.com/philocrites@gmail.comUnitarian Universalism
<p>I'm pleased to announce the 2009 <a href="http://www.minnslectures.org/">Minns Lectures</a>. Historian Susan Ritchie, visiting professor of Unitarian Universalist history at Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, Calif., and minister of North Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Lewis Center, Ohio, will be discussing early Unitarianism's relationships with Judaism and Islam in five lectures in Boston in April and at the UUA General Assembly in June. Here are the details:</p><blockquote><p><strong>Lecture 1: Children of the Same God: The Early Unitarian Theology of Relationship to Judaism and Islam</strong></p>
<p><i>Tuesday, April 21, at UUA Headquarters, 25 Beacon Street, Boston &mdash; 6:30 pm reception followed by 7:00 pm lecture</i></p>
<p>European Unitarianism was formed in large part through the desire to honor Christianity’s close kinship with Judaism and Islam. Convinced that Christians, Muslims, and Jews were a part of the same religious family, Unitarians emerged as Christians who resisted theologies of God that could not be freely shared across traditions. This lecture explores the earliest theological expressions of this multi-religious vision. </p>
<p><strong>Lecture 2: Children of the Same God: European Unitarianism in Creative Cultural Exchange with Ottoman Islam</strong> </p>
<p><i>Wednesday, April 22, First Church in Boston, 66 Marlborough Street, Boston &mdash; 6:00 pm reception and 6:30 pm dinner ($10 fee for dinner), followed by 7:30 pm lecture</i></p>
<p>We begin with how Unitarianism’s commitment to and articulation of religious tolerance arose from actual exchanges between sixteenth-century Transylvanians and Ottoman Muslims. From there, we explore the intentional efforts of European Unitarians to reach out to Muslim communities throughout the centuries. </p>
<p><strong>Lecture 3: Children of the Same God: European Unitarianism in Relationship to Judaism</strong> </p>
<p><i>Monday, April 27, King’s Chapel House, 64 Beacon Street, Boston &mdash; 6:30 pm reception followed by 7:00 pm lecture</i></p>
<p>While waves of European anti-Semitic persecutions troubled this identity, a strong affinity for Judaism distinguishes European Unitarianism across the centuries. For some Unitarians, this meant adopting Jewish practices; for others it meant establishing relationships with Jewish communities. </p>
<p><strong>Lecture 4: Children of the Same God: Resistances and Possibilities in the North American Unitarian Engagement with Islam and Judaism</strong> </p>
<p><i>Tuesday, April 28, Andover Newton Theological School, Wilson Chapel, 210 Herrick Road, Newton, Mass. &mdash; 7:00 pm reception followed by 7:30 pm lecture</i> </p>
<p>While the European Unitarian tradition was formed through creative engagement with actual Islamic and Jewish communities, the North American history in this regard has not been as rich. This lecture explores the racial and class identity of American Unitarianism that led it to not fully embrace kinship with Judaism and Islam in spite of many suggestions of affinity and connection. </p>
<p><strong>Lecture 5: Children of the Same God: Unitarianism in Kinship with Judaism and Islam</strong> </p>
<p><i>Saturday, June 27, UUA General Assembly, Salt Lake City, Utah &mdash; 5:15 pm </i></p>
<p>Unitarian identity in Europe emerged as a defense of the inherent kinship between Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. This lecture examines the early theology of this relationship, and then summarizes the actual, creative encounters it engendered with Jewish and Muslim communities. The invigorating possibilities of re-engaging this multi-religious vision from within contemporary North American Unitarian Universalism are explored.</p></blockquote><p>The Minns Lectures are sponsored by King's Chapel and the First Church of Boston, two of the UUA's oldest congregations.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=RVF9OXZrCQo:Ts-6mj3fUxo:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=RVF9OXZrCQo:Ts-6mj3fUxo:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=RVF9OXZrCQo:Ts-6mj3fUxo:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=RVF9OXZrCQo:Ts-6mj3fUxo:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=RVF9OXZrCQo:Ts-6mj3fUxo:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/philocrites/~4/RVF9OXZrCQo" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://www.philocrites.com/archives/004028.htmlUUA Board meets in Boston, April 17-18.2009-04-01T02:02:57Z2009-03-31T22:02:57-05:00tag:www.philocrites.com,2009://1.40272009-04-01T02:02:57ZObservers are welcome to attend the meetings of the UUA Board of Trustees and its working groups and committees, April 17-18 in Boston. Among the agendas and reports now available on UUA.org are a few related to the UUA's financial...Philocriteshttp://www.philocrites.com/philocrites@gmail.comUnitarian Universalism
<p>Observers are welcome to attend the meetings of the UUA Board of Trustees and its working groups and committees, April 17-18 in Boston. Among the <a href="http://www.uua.org/aboutus/governance/boardtrustees/agendas/131159.shtml">agendas and reports</a> now available on UUA.org are a few related to the UUA's financial condition (previously <a href="http://www.uuworld.org/news/articles/130299.shtml?p">reported</a> by <cite>UU World</cite>), including a four-page memo from Treasurer Tim Brennan <a href="http://www.uua.org/documents/finance/090323_fy10_memo.pdf">detailing the cuts in the FY2010 budget</a> (pdf) and a table showing <a href="http://www.uua.org/documents/finance/090323_fy10-11_budget.pdf">individual budget lines</a> (pdf). </p>
<p>Also noteworthy in the April board packet is the document offering final <a href="http://www.uua.org/documents/youthoffice/090325_wg_recommendations.pdf">recommendations for the UUA's new approach to youth ministry</a> (pdf), which was been in development for several years. (Here's <cite>UU World</cite>'s <a href="http://www.uuworld.org/news/articles/121291.shtml?p">coverage of the Youth Ministry Working Group</a>, which produced the recommendations.)</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=6cn94WFJfSE:8NNNycYD-fA:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=6cn94WFJfSE:8NNNycYD-fA:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=6cn94WFJfSE:8NNNycYD-fA:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=6cn94WFJfSE:8NNNycYD-fA:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=6cn94WFJfSE:8NNNycYD-fA:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/philocrites/~4/6cn94WFJfSE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://www.philocrites.com/archives/004027.htmlKeeping comments open, if only briefly.2009-04-01T02:02:31Z2009-03-31T22:02:31-05:00tag:www.philocrites.com,2009://1.40262009-04-01T02:02:31ZOn second thought, I'm going to try keeping comments open for one week after I publish a post....Philocriteshttp://www.philocrites.com/philocrites@gmail.comSite news
<p>On second thought, I'm going to try keeping comments open for one week after I publish a post. </p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=kBNENxlw8zI:HVjUF2b4wqw:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=kBNENxlw8zI:HVjUF2b4wqw:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=kBNENxlw8zI:HVjUF2b4wqw:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=kBNENxlw8zI:HVjUF2b4wqw:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=kBNENxlw8zI:HVjUF2b4wqw:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/philocrites/~4/kBNENxlw8zI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://www.philocrites.com/archives/004026.htmlSpam, alas, brings comments to a halt.2009-03-31T13:06:27Z2009-03-31T09:06:27-05:00tag:www.philocrites.com,2009://1.40252009-03-31T13:06:27ZI'm sorry to announce that I am closing comments here at Philocrites for the simple reason that I can no longer stay on top of the flood of spam comments. In one 24-hour period last week, my blacklist caught more...Philocriteshttp://www.philocrites.com/philocrites@gmail.comSite news
<p>I'm sorry to announce that I am closing comments here at Philocrites for the simple reason that I can no longer stay on top of the flood of spam comments. In one 24-hour period last week, my blacklist caught more than 5,000 attempts to post spam comments &mdash; but several dozen made it through. With the very limited time I have to dedicate to maintaining the blog, spending 30 minutes or more twice a day clearing spam off the site is not sustainable. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to upgrade my customized installation of Movable Type to take advantage of the comment moderation features in newer versions, and so we're just stuck in this situation. </p>
<p>If you would like to comment on one of my posts, please send me email and I may post your comment manually. I've always been grateful for the insight and good will that characterized comments here. To each of you who has shared your good sense with me and my readers, my deep thanks. I'm sorry the conversation has trickled off, and I'm very sorry to have to close comments down.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=3z1Ir1i8HGM:bmB8Spmeej0:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=3z1Ir1i8HGM:bmB8Spmeej0:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=3z1Ir1i8HGM:bmB8Spmeej0:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=3z1Ir1i8HGM:bmB8Spmeej0:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=3z1Ir1i8HGM:bmB8Spmeej0:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/philocrites/~4/3z1Ir1i8HGM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://www.philocrites.com/archives/004025.htmlEconomic recession brings downsized UUA.2009-03-29T02:24:35Z2009-03-28T22:24:35-05:00tag:www.philocrites.com,2009://1.40242009-03-29T02:24:35ZIn case you're not keeping up with UU World's weekly coverage of Unitarian Universalist news (RSS; email newsletter), I wanted you to be aware of the magazine's story about the UUA's budget cuts for the fiscal year beginning in July....Philocriteshttp://www.philocrites.com/philocrites@gmail.comUnitarian Universalism
<p>In case you're not keeping up with <a href="http://www.uuworld.org/?p"><cite>UU World</cite></a>'s weekly coverage of <a href="http://www.uuworld.org/news/index.shtml?p">Unitarian Universalist news</a> (<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/uuworld">RSS</a>; <a href="http://www.uuworld.org/subscriptions/emailnewsletter.shtml?p">email newsletter</a>), I wanted you to be aware of the magazine's story about the <a href="http://www.uuworld.org/news/articles/130299.shtml?p">UUA's budget cuts</a> for the fiscal year beginning in July. Where the denomination had a total budget of $26.7 million in 2009, the UUA has cut its 2010 budget to $22.7 million through the elimination of the equivalent of 13 full-time staff positions, the reorganization of the <a href="http://www.uua.org/aboutus/professionalstaff/congregationalservices/">Congregational Services</a> department, cuts in travel and events, curtailing the printing and mailing of several periodicals (<a href="http://www.uua.org/publications/interconnections/"><cite>InterConnections</cite></a>, <a href="http://www.uua.org/publications/religiousleader/"><cite>The Religious Leader</cite></a>, the monthly <a href="http://www.uua.org/leaders/leaderslibrary/congregationalmonthly/">Congregational Bulletin</a>, and the annual <a href="http://www.uua.org/publications/directory/"><cite>Directory</cite></a>), and reduced staffing at the General Assembly, among many other cuts. </p>
<p>Here is the article in the final printed edition of <cite>InterConnections</cite> that describes the newsletter's <a href="http://www.uua.org/leaders/leaderslibrary/leaderslibrary/interconnections/129747.shtml">transition to an entirely digital publication</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=sEpDd5-4vkE:GmJq61p1Keg:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=sEpDd5-4vkE:GmJq61p1Keg:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=sEpDd5-4vkE:GmJq61p1Keg:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=sEpDd5-4vkE:GmJq61p1Keg:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=sEpDd5-4vkE:GmJq61p1Keg:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/philocrites/~4/sEpDd5-4vkE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://www.philocrites.com/archives/004024.htmlAudio of Spring UU World now available.2009-03-17T02:57:56Z2009-03-16T22:57:56-05:00tag:www.philocrites.com,2009://1.40232009-03-17T02:57:56ZAudiorecordings of the articles in the Spring issue of UU World are now available at uuworld.org. Recorded by audiobook actor Dick Hill and produced by Peter Bowden, the .mp3 files can be played in a web browser or downloaded for...Philocriteshttp://www.philocrites.com/philocrites@gmail.comUnitarian Universalism
<p>Audiorecordings of the articles in the Spring issue of <cite>UU World</cite> are <a href="http://www.uuworld.org/issues/audiorecordingsspring2009.shtml?p">now available</a> at uuworld.org. Recorded by audiobook actor <a href="http://www.dickhill.com/">Dick Hill</a> and produced by <a href="http://www.bostonnonprofitvideo.com/index.html">Peter Bowden</a>, the .mp3 files can be played in a web browser or downloaded for playback in your iPod or other .mp3 player. (If you missed them, recordings are also available for the <a href="http://www.uuworld.org/issues/audiorecordingswinter2008.shtml?p">Winter 2008</a> issue.)</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=J8-ekGOo2Wo:QG1fldd0ZPU:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=J8-ekGOo2Wo:QG1fldd0ZPU:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=J8-ekGOo2Wo:QG1fldd0ZPU:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?i=J8-ekGOo2Wo:QG1fldd0ZPU:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?a=J8-ekGOo2Wo:QG1fldd0ZPU:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/philocrites?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/philocrites/~4/J8-ekGOo2Wo" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://www.philocrites.com/archives/004023.html